Confessions
by Terrible Twins
Summary: Beka and Rosto can't hide from each other any more. T for now, may change later. MUTT
1. Rosto 1

Rosto watched her, knowing that his dark-eyed gaze made her uncomfortable but not caring overmuch. He drank in the sight of her; the way she made faces at whatever comment Pounce had made for her ears only, her smile as she listened to their friends laughing and joking over the now-traditional breakfast. But when she looked at him her freckled face would close down, her beautiful gray-blue eyes grow cold as she hid behind her past. He knew she felt something for him, and he knew why she fought it.

But he loved her. He had realized that a while ago. When, despite his various assignations, he found himself wishing it was this feisty Terrier in his arms rather than the mot he was with. When he wanted the Bloodhound by his side at meals rather than the various rogues he supped with. When he found himself wishing it was Beka's beautiful face on the pillow beside his come morning. He had no wish to startle her by revealing these desires. But he let her know, with small looks and touches and the distinct lack of women in his life, that he wanted her and only her.

And so Rosto the Piper, Rogue of Tortall and all around lady's man, fell for a single young woman. And a Dog at that. That was what drew him to her though, or so he thought. Their differences made them a great team. And their similarities brought them closer with every encounter.


	2. Beka 1

She could feel him watching him with those unlawfully captivating eyes of his, the dark orbs set beneath brows so fine so as to be barely seen. She pointedly ignored him for as long as she could, for she knew that if she met his gaze she would be caught. Her, the ghost-eyed Dog of Jane Street Kennel, could be trapped by eyes more wondrous that her own. At least to her thinking. And, surely as a four-legged dog will come when called, her gaze was eventually drawn to his and she seemed to be drowning in the pools of inky black that lay in his pale face. She had no idea that he was similarly trapped by her gaze, thinking he was toying with her as he had many mots before. Aniki and Kora could have told her, but she would never ask them. She would never reveal this pull that the Rogue had over her, not until something came of it. Neither did she know that the Dogs that knew her best; Ersken, Tunstall, and Goodwin, knew that she felt something for the king of thieves. Even the Lord Provost knew. There were bets going on when she would give in. And most of her friends bet against her lasting much longer. They knew her well. She couldn't last much longer, not under those damnably beautiful eyes.

_A cove shouldn't be so fair of face_, she thought with a frown. It really wasn't fair to the mots that had to put up with him. And she couldn't hold against that face any more. She stood and left the room where the group of them breakfasted, casting one last lingering glance at the man that had caught her as surely as a Dog catches a Rat.


	3. Rosto 2

He watched her leave, and read the message in her eyes and on her golden face. A few minutes later he stood and followed, seemingly only interested in where their friend had disappeared to. But behind him the five others exchanged smiles and knowing looks. He found his Dog in her room, standing with her back to the door as she fed the pigeons that gathered at her window.

"Any news from our feathered friends?" He asked as he invited himself into the small room and closed the door behind him.

"No, thankfully this group carries none of the dead. It's always nice when that happens." She replied calmly before she turned to face him. He saw her eyes widen as she noted his sudden proximity, having not heard him come up behind her. His pale fingers reached out and brushed a strand of golden hair from her face, his eyes watching her throat as she swallowed. All thought left his head as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to throbbing pulse-point in the smooth, beautiful neck.

"Rosto…" She gasped, her voice trying to sound firm but failing miserably as her body reacted to his touch. He pulled his face up to look her in the eyes, his expression serious.

"No more running Beka. No more hiding." He whispered before he crushed his lips to hers almost desperately. He felt her stiffen for a moment before she melted into his arms, her hands coming up to rest of his shoulders. Soon she was jammed between the Rogue and the wall, all thought gone from her mind. Before it all returned in a rush. She pushed him back with a gasp, shaking her head.


	4. Beka 2

She pulled breath in as she stared up at him, trying to muster up anger at his presumptions. But she couldn't, because he was right. She couldn't run from how she felt anymore. And she couldn't hide from him. But still she held him at arm's length and shook her head, unable to get rid of the instinctual hate of rushers she had gained from her mother's experiences.

"Rosto, I can't." She said, her voice quiet as she looked away.

"I'm not those men Beka. You know that. So what's really holding you back?" He replied, tilting her chin up with his fingers so that she would look at him. She looked confused and trapped, her own feelings warring behind her ghostly eyes.

"How do I know? I know nothing about you Rosto. You were a complete stranger when we met, and in some ways you still are. And if that weren't enough I'm a Dog and you're the Rogue. Anything between us is impossible." She answered, but she made no move to get away from him.

"No one else agrees with you Beka. Even Goodwin thinks we could make it. The Lord Provost himself came to the Dove the other day to tell me what he thought. But no one tells you because they know that you're still fighting it. And my past is not something I want to interfere with our relationship. I'm not who I was before I came to Tortall, these days I actually have something to lose." Rosto shot back, his expression deadly serious. She swallowed again, her mind scrabbling for another argument. When she finally spoke her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. She knew she was losing this argument.

"I still want to know Rosto. If you're serious about us I have a right to know your past. I've made no secret of mine."


	5. Rosto 3

She was right and he knew it. He would have to tell her who he'd been before he'd met Aniki and Kora. She'd have to find about the heartless manipulator that had stood beside the Rogue of Scanra.

"No more hiding Rosto." She added after a moment, throwing his own words back in his face. He stepped back finally, running a pale hand across his equally pale face.

"You're right Beka. It's time I told you. But it's not a story I like to tell." He finally replied, seating himself on her bed. After a few seconds she walked over and sat beside him, ready to listen.

"I grew up and orphan on the plains of Scanra, traveling from town to town and conning everyone I met out of every copper they had. That's one way I got my name. The Piper, for the way I played my victims like I played the pipe. I'm not proud of who I was. And when the Rogue found me he made use of me. I learned the sword and mastered it as well as I had my manipulation of people. I worked for him as his right hand, the one who crept through the shadows and took care of those he no longer wished to deal with. It was in this line of work that I met Aniki and Kora. I had made of policy of keeping everyone away, making no friends within the court. Because I might have to kill them one day. But the two of them insisted, they never left me alone. They saved me from the soulless demon I was becoming. Over time I grew to care for them. And when the old Rogue died and the new one tried to kill me first off the three of us decided it was time to leave Scanra. I needed a change of scenery, an entirely new life. A place where the shadow I had created for myself to hide in would no longer follow me. That's why we're here." As he explained he stared only at his hands clasped between his knees as he leaned on his legs, elbows propped on his thighs. And when he finished his shoulders sagged, seeing the darkness of his life laid bare before the woman that had become his light.


	6. Beka 3

She listened with morbid fascination as he told her the tale of his life with a cold, clinical quality that chilled her to the bone. But his regrets and shame were obvious in the way he wouldn't look at her and the way he seemed to collapse on himself when he finished. Without thinking she reached a hand out and ran her fingers through his messy blonde hair, finally giving in to the urge she'd been fighting for a while now.

"Rosto…Why did you choose to become Rogue here? Was it simply because Deerborn was so corrupt or was there another reason?" She asked after a few minutes of stroking his hair.

"I wanted to do some good. Especially after watching the way you threw yourself into the problems of the Lower City, despite the lack of thanks you gained. This place needed someone who would look out for its people, someone to work from the other end. Because even our tenacious Puppy could only do so much. You're going to do great things here Beka, I saw that from the moment I first laid eyes on you in the Mantel and Pullet. And I wanted to help. I still do." He explained, looking up at her finally with dark eyes more full of emotion that she'd ever seen in his icy face. She was at a loss for words. Few thought Beka had much thought for anything outside her work. Fewer still would believe that the Rogue had a heart. She reacted to those dark eyes as she always had, being drawn closer than ever by the pain in them. She kissed him, softly at first but as he responded the action became almost fierce. All thought left their minds as their lips meshed. His long-fingered hand came up to tangle in her hair as his other one spread across her lower back. This was what he'd been longing for ever since he'd given her that first kiss, his first morning as Rogue.


End file.
